'I thought my daughter had just bumped her head ... three days later she couldn't walk'

A Sydney mother-of-two found a lump on her youngest daughter's head just over a month ago. It was the start of the biggest battle of this brave five-year-old's life.

Mother-of-two Camilla was playing with her five-year-old daughter Audrey when she first noticed a lump on her head.

“I assumed she’d just fallen and bumped her head, but she told me she hadn’t and it wasn’t hurting her,” Camilla told Kidspot.

“Within a week, she suddenly woke up one morning and couldn’t walk because one of her legs was really sore.

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“We took her to hospital, and they didn’t find anything at the start, but the lump was definitely of interest because it wasn’t really looking like anything they could explain.”

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Audrey was diagnosed with B-Cell lymphoma weeks after her mum Camilla noticed a bump on her head. Picture: GoFundMe

"There is treatment available"

Camilla said the lump on Audrey’s head had “doubled” in size after another couple of days, and described it as the size of an avocado.

“On July 31 we were called into the Children’s Hospital to have an MRI on the lump,” she said.

“It was really obvious there was something wrong, and it all turned pear-shaped from there.”

Camilla, a Critical Care Nurse, and her husband Mike, a pilot, got the news no parents should ever get.

Audrey was diagnosed with B-Cell Lymphoma, and started on chemotherapy last week.

“We had 10 days of investigations which were the most awful and traumatising days of our lives,” Camilla said.

“Having a name helps, because it means there is treatment available, but me being a critical care nurse is worse, because I’m usually looking after these children, but now it’s my daughter instead.

“For the next five weeks, Mondays and Tuesdays are intense chemotherapy, and that’ll go for eight or nine months.

“The full treatment plan will expand over two years.”

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Camilla with her two daughters. Her youngest Audrey (left) is fighting cancer. Picture: Supplied

Audrey "doing amazing" despite horrific diagnosis

Despite the horrific news, Camilla said Audrey, who lives with autism spectrum disorder, had been a trooper since her diagnosis.

“She’s doing amazing, and the main thing it highlights is how beautiful the hospital is in the way they deal with children,” she said.

“They talk her through it, they use stories. For example, Audrey has a central line into her chest, and they’ve told her it’s her magic power that’ll make us kill this cancer.”

Unfortunately, Audrey has been forced out of her first year of school to fight the disease.

This means Camilla has been forced to stop working to take care of her daughter, and her school community in Sydney’s Inner West have stepped up to the plate to support the family.

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A GoFundMe has raised more than $87,000 to help support the family through Audrey's battle. Picture: GoFundMe

"If that's how we can help, that's what we'll do"

A GoFundMe started for the family has raised more than $87,000 as of Monday afternoon, funds that will go towards helping the family get through the next 12 months of their lives.

Family friend Prue told Kidspot a bunch of parents were “desperate” to help when they heard about Audrey’s diagnosis.

“They don’t need 100 chicken casseroles on their doorstep next week, and when we found out Camilla had to leave her job to care for Audrey, we asked if they needed assistance,” she said.

“They didn’t feel comfortable accepting at first, but they’re amazingly grateful. They’re good people who need financial assistance, and if that’s one way we can help, that’s what we’ll do.”

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Camilla said Audrey was "doing amazing" despite her diagnosis. Picture: GoFundMe

"We wouldn't be here without them"

Prue said she didn’t expect the fundraiser to take off like it has.

“It’s nice how the community has rallied, and that’s why we love this area and the school,” she said.

“We’ve also done a take-them-a-meal plan, so parents will drop that off at the house. Everyone is rallying around them, and it restores your faith in humanity and community.”

Camilla said she was “overwhelmed” by the community’s generosity.

“We live in Sydney, so the reality is we’d be financially screwed,” she said. “We’re utterly overwhelmed by how quickly it’s happened.

“It took me three days to look at it for the first time, and it was already at $38,000 then.

“The most heartfelt thank you to the people who have made this happen, we wouldn’t be here without them.”

Originally published as 'I thought my daughter had just bumped her head ... three days later she couldn't walk'